Big Brother Jiang Is a Big Idiot

"Are you two all right?"

Fatty Liu looked nervously at the burned-out carriage, Jiang Hao deep in thought beside it, and Xiaoxiao standing there like a child who had done something wrong. He did not know what to say.

He trusted the people Captain Xiao had recommended. But they had only been on the road a few days, and the pair had already burned one of his carriages. He was beginning to wonder if they were all that reliable.

"We're fine," Jiang Hao replied flatly. "We accidentally blew it up while testing Soul Power."

Hearing that they were fine, Fatty Liu's expression cleared at once. "Then it's no problem. I thought you'd been attacked."

"With all this cargo, I thought some petty thieves might have set their sights on us."

"Since everyone's all right, let's keep going. Why don't you two squeeze into my carriage?"

As Fatty Liu spoke, Jiang Hao led Xiaoxiao into his carriage. It was more than twice the size of Jiang Hao's, with a desk in the middle holding an abacus, paper, and brushes.

"I didn't expect you to work in here. You're pretty dedicated," Jiang Hao said, genuinely surprised. He had assumed this young master was just a spoiled, unruly son of a wealthy family.

He had thought Fatty Liu wanted to buy these novel goods for a quick profit. Instead, the man was a shrewd merchant who kept handling business even on the road.

Fatty Liu laughed, then said with a trace of resignation, "It's my poor talent. My Martial Soul is the notoriously difficult-to-cultivate Fat Martial Soul, and my Innate Soul Power was only level three.

"My father had a hard enough time putting me in this position. I've all but given up on cultivation, and I don't pay much attention to my Martial Soul anymore.

"Every day, I just think about earning more Gold Soul Coins so I can provide better cultivation resources for my younger sister and brother. Both their Martial Souls are far better than mine."

"And how was I supposed to cultivate fat? Pile it on thicker and gain a little more defense, that's all." Fatty Liu gave a self-mocking laugh.

But Jiang Hao caught the important part: pile on more fat, gain more defense.

He looked at Fatty Liu's bulky figure and activated Owl Bro's Soul Skill. That skill had helped reveal something about Xiaoxiao's Martial Soul. Could observing Fatty Liu reveal a path better suited to him too?

One look nearly made Jiang Hao jump. Beneath that thick layer of fat, Fatty Liu had sharply defined eight-pack abs and two slabs of pectoral muscle. The muscles in his arms had swelled to their limits, all concealed under fat.

"Is this the innate Fat-Wrapped Muscle Sacred Body?" he muttered.

"Brother Jiang, what did you say? I didn't understand." Fatty Liu scratched his head. He had plenty of folds, but he kept himself clean. Plump and pale all over, he looked like a soft, wrinkled steamed bun.

After a moment's hesitation, Jiang Hao said, "Fat is a form of stored energy. Fatty, have you ever wondered what would happen if you used Soul Power to burn through all of it?"

Burn through all his fat? It had been accumulating ever since his Martial Soul awakened over twenty years ago.

What would happen if he used it all up? Would his Martial Soul disappear, or grow weaker? It could not possibly grow stronger.

"You're joking, Brother Jiang! My Martial Soul is fat. If I burn it away, won't I damage its very foundation?

"I can barely build it up fast enough. At least it makes me stronger. How could I bear to waste it?"

Jiang Hao raised a hand to stop him. "The Fat Martial Soul is also a Body Martial Soul. Didn't you know? A Body Martial Soul is rooted in yourself, not in the fat. Fat is only one way your Martial Soul manifests.

"In the end, a Body Martial Soul's strength always comes down to how you use it."

"The Fat Martial Soul is a Body Martial Soul, and a Body Martial Soul is rooted in the self. Young brother, that's a brilliant insight!"

Fatty Liu's eyes lit with enthusiasm. The way he looked at Jiang Hao grew more sincere, as though he now regarded him as family rather than one of those cold-blooded distant relatives.

"Brother, stay with me for life. If you ever run into trouble, come find me at the Northern Snow Trading House.

"This is my personal token. From now on, if anything catches your eye at any Northern Snow Trading House on the continent, take it. My word is enough."

"I'll need to return to the sect and discuss this with my teacher before I decide."

Jiang Hao tucked the token engraved with the character Hao into his robe.

"See? Interact with an NPC and they drop equipment. How many times have I told you?" Red Light Bro muttered.

"Oh, give it a rest. After that last Soul Hunting trip, you tried to chat up a girl at the Market and give her flowers. The Main Body nearly beat you to death. And you're still talking about interacting with NPCs?"

Several Clones who had yet to awaken their Martial Souls crowded around Red Light Bro, mocking him relentlessly.

At present, the only ones in the Spiritual Sea were Red Light Bro, confined there to reflect on his actions, and the Clones whose Martial Souls had awakened over the past few days.

Who knows when that Main Body Old Rogue will awaken my Martial Soul? Damn it!

After the carriage fire, Xiaoxiao no longer dared to summon her Martial Soul to cultivate Soul Power. She simply watched Jiang Hao temper his body with Soul Power.

She kept watching for an entire day, until even her eyes were bloodshot.

"A Martial Soul Fusion Skill! It's a Martial Soul Fusion Skill! Does Big Brother Jiang really not care?" Xiaoxiao muttered, feeling a little hurt.

She had finally encountered the legendary Martial Soul Fusion Skill, something she might never have seen in her entire life, yet he did not seem interested.

Big Brother Jiang is such a big idiot. I'm a girl—does he expect me to make the first move?

With Jiang Hao's Clones protecting them and the convoy following the Northern Snow Trading House's familiar route, the journey was calm. They soon reached Heaven Dou City.

Jiang Hao finally paused his Soul Power tempering. The Soul Power that had once circulated like gas had condensed into a misty state, with droplets of liquid Soul Power beginning to form.

But once he reached that point, his progress slowed more and more. Fully liquefying his Soul Power would probably take another two or three years.

Cultivating every day without seeing the slightest progress was truly infuriating.

In that case, he would take a proper break and experience the customs and scenery of this other world.

Jiang Hao grinned and stretched, waking Xiaoxiao, who had been resting nearby.

"Big Brother Jiang, are you getting off so early?"

"No, Xiaoxiao. We've arrived.

"We got close to Heaven Dou City last night, so we decided to travel through the night without stopping."

Xiaoxiao perked up at once and leaned toward the window to look outside. "Heaven Dou City! I'm home!"

Then she seemed to remember something and looked at Jiang Hao reluctantly. "Big Brother Jiang, could you come home with me?" Her eyes blinked up at him as though she might burst into tears if he refused.

"I'm afraid that'll have to wait a few days. Why don't you leave me your address, and I'll visit you then?

"I still have a task for the Thirty-Person Group that your Big Brother Xiao entrusted to me. Once that's done, I'll be free." Jiang Hao looked at her.

Xiaoxiao's eyes brightened. "Then I'll come too! Once we've taken care of it, we can go home together."

Xiaoxiao knew that if she went home alone now, her family would discover she had secretly absorbed a Soul Skill that was not part of the family inheritance. They would probably confine her, and her parents might even punish her.

By the time Jiang Hao came to visit, her family might quietly turn him away without her ever knowing.

But if she went back with Jiang Hao, it would be different. She had not only hunted down a good Soul Ring on this trip—she had also practically stumbled upon a talented Soul Master with whom she could perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. That changed everything!